Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-02-05
THE GOOD OLD DAYS.
"REMINISCENCES OF APPLE BUTTER MAKING AND FLANNEL NcKlNc.D

"REMINISCENCES OF APPLE BUTTER
 MAKING AND FLANNEL KICKING" Two Ropuisr Customs which Prevailed
 Among the Settlers Away B.ck-How
 the Apple Butter was nads-Funins the Home Made Flannel
 have seen many newspaper accounts recently of customs that prevailed among the settlers away back. all of them born or necessity. But there were two that prevailed in COshoctOn, the county in which was raised, in the great old state or Ohio, that seems tO have been Oyer- looked or probably entirely forgotten one of them was apple butter boiling and the other was flannel kicking Talk about the tun they had at apple cuttings. corn huskings, quiltiugs, etc, but for genuine uproarlOus fun flannel kicking would knock them all [ in one round. Every new house had -e old one. which was left standing, gener, in close proximity tO the new, which as used for all manner of purposes. T e old fashionel loom, which almost ey.ry thrifty farmer pos sessed, WAS set up there. The big broad fireplace, $ or 6 feet wide with its big crane on which to hang heavy kettles and pots, was always in order and was used when boiling the apple butter, large copper kettle always being used for the purpose. But few families could afford the luxury of large copper kettle. cOnse- quently one served a large neighbOrhOOd, going the rounds every apple butter sea son.
 BOILING APPLE BUTTER.
 The log house was usually but one large room. It took two couples tO boil apple butter-always two fellows with their best girls. It required constant stir ring, which was usually done with board about inches wide by about ? feet long, with holes bored through 1t and handle about feet long. sO that the fellow and his best girl could handle it easily. While they stirred the other couple were having most delight ful time of in one corner of the room, there being no light except dim, relig ious one from the fire. Of course they changed places quite frequently, for the couple at the handle could not endure that kind of thing for any length of time, knowing what high old time the other couple were having away oT in the cor
 
 opportunities This thing usually lasted all night, and As a rule the little party were not interrupted by meddlers, and they had blissful season free from the rude gaze of any one.
 But the crOwning glory, the boss fun. was the flannel kicking. As have before stated, almost every old house had itS loom, on which the women wOye flannels -linsey wOolsey, cssiHets and linen. ] sigh for the days when ! used Co wenr this home made linen. Pillow slips saects. shirts, pants and short tl 'tt. r.I.L. bouts all made off the sam. piece of -Ood5- There were no long ta.-.. -lmWcr coats in those days. This linen Was stuU.. Hu a if boy or even a good sized man cJU-.t the seat ot his pants on as9liEter iu climb ing a rldl icuce or an @ mail he hung there. IL would hold him every time
 The flannel wl- usually woven in webs, or pieces of % or iO yards, and of course it had tO be fUlleI before it was In proper condition Co ls made I,p iU;o ar ments Pulling mills verC 70 thing almost unhcard Of in that Cugulry a that time, and some way must Ie devised to thicken up cr full the ilauue,, and they did it 10 perfection. I have attended many kicking, and my recollection of them is as vivid as fl 1t had occurred but year ago.
 A FLANNEL KICKING.
 ''The boys and girls of the neighbor- hOOd-which took in a range of several niles-wero notified that on Q certain evening they were going to have flannel kicking, and il needed no urging to gather in enough tu make up a party. The flannel was placed in a loose pile in the middle of the hoor-usuRlly in that same old log house-chairs were placed around it. forming a complete circle. The boys and girls filled the chairs, and then a blow line or rope was passed around The out side of the chairs, drawn through the backs, to hold them in position. Of course the performers faced toward the fan nel The boys. ith their .f.v .v-ers rolled up above their .es; and fhr iris-well. the girls in th days were uot iucum- bered with as n a toggery as they wear now.
 ''Soapsuds-as hot as the operators could possibly l,ir twas then poured on the flannel, and then the fun com menced in dead earnest, every gic kick ing the pile of nIU..ei for dear life-the boys laughing and yelling the girls screaming and the sOap>uds spirtiug mp anu bAAA AAA AAA 1AhFN EAN'NAA ~aaANNH " AAf AA the suds became absorbed and began Co cool more hot suds were poured on. and then fresh outburst of kicking and spirit ing, laughing and screaming began, their feet and legs looking as red as boiled lob sters.
 This usually lasted about three hour, the old folks pouring on the hot sOapsuds and looking and enjoying the thing about as much as the younger ones. lt WAS rare fun, and the writer of this article remem- bers it better than almost anything else in the way of parties in his young days. Of course the work was not so well done Hs it is done nowadays in the mills. but it answered the purpose, and every body was satisfied with it. Alas for the days that will never come back, the days when all these customs prevailed in COshoctou county y''-"Wslhanding' in Chicago